All It Takes
by Yamiko Number 7
Summary: Things are generally going badly for Rosette and company. Rosette is wiped out and stressed out, Chrno can't control his temper, and to top it all off, Azmaria gets kidnapped again. This time, though, it's not the demons' fault...DEAD. No more coming.
1. Mission

1**All It Takes**

**By: Yamiko #7**

Hello all! This is my first fic under my new authoress name:grin: The old authoress name was KC1, but I got tired of being involuntarily numbered (I was the first KC, darn it! Make everybody else change their names!...and at least 7 means something to me...) and having an authoress name too short to be a keyword in the search engine. (No more redirecting people! Yay!)

This is also my first Chrno Crusade fic. Yes, for all you ADV-dub people out there, "Chrno." This is actually the original Japanese spelling of the name - the dubbers just threw another "o" in there so we poor, easily confused Americans wouldn't blow up our brains. (Mine officially detonated after watching "The End of Evangelion: The Movie", so I'm not worried about it.) This fic takes place sometime between Episodes 13-14 in the anime (around the beginning/middle of Volume 4 of the manga), happening somewhere in San Francisco before everything goes absolutely crazy. BTW, there will be minor Volume 5 spoilers about Father Remington later on (because that's the version of the story I'm using), so be warned.

Now, without further ado, on to the fic!

_Chapter One: Mission_

There was murmuring down the hall. A phone conversation, to be exact.

Chrno perked up his ears. Rosette was being louder than usual, which was either a very good sign, or a very bad one. In layman's terms, the difference between greeting her with a smile and running like hell for cover.

Suddenly the conversation exploded. "JESUS, MARY, AND JOSEPH!"

Running for cover it was.

He quickly glanced about the room. Under the bed and in the closet were too obvious. So was out the window - she'd see him running across the expansive yard of Satella's villa anyway. If he couldn't hide, then he'd just act innocent.

So what was "innocent?"

_"Sleeping? Cleaning?"_

Scratch that. What was "innocent" for him?

_"Um...er...I know! Reading!"_ He was grasping at straws and he knew it. At least it was better than "sitting around and waiting for Rosette to kill me."

Hell, _anything_ was better than that.

Chrno didn't have much time - he could hear Rosette's angry stomping just outside the door. He grabbed the nearest book off the dresser and sat down on a chair near the window, barely taking time to register what it was he was "reading" - _"The BIBLE! Of all the rotten luck..."_ - before opening it and acting interested.

It couldn't have been more than two seconds before Rosette slammed the door open. "GOD DAMMIT! ...Chrno, we're outta here."

Well, at least she wasn't mad at _him_. Rosette wasn't really one to shoot the messenger - she preferred to shoot Chrno instead. Chrno wasn't sure if he could stand up to the effects of a Gospel, and finding out was not on his list of things to do before he died.

Although, if he ever did find out, it would probably be the last thing he did do before death.

Such a happy thought.

Chrno put the book down, figuring he'd better continue the conversation before Rosette changed her mind and got angry anyway. "Why? What happened?"

"I just got a call from the Sister Kate," Rosette replied.

Chrno tensed slightly. Calls from Sister Kate were never good news...especially if they were about him. She still didn't trust him. She probably never would.

"It's about Joshua."

The knots in Chrno's shoulders got tighter. _"A break in the case!"_

"Evidently, new evidence on his whereabouts was obtained," Rosette continued in her best Sister Kate imitation, "and we were sent a telegram containing this news, as well as updates."

Chrno frowned. He hadn't seen any telegram in the two days they had been staying here. "What happened to the telegram?"

Rosette sighed. "Evidently Azmaria saw it first. She went out on her own this morning to look for him."

Chrno jumped to his feet. "WHAT!" His mind immediately went to the first thing he knew of that could - and would - cause the young songstress harm.

_"Aion..."_

The seal on the pocket watch lifted slightly and snapped back into place with an ominous _click_.

"Don't worry, Chrno. We'll find her," Rosette said quietly, turning to leave the room. The reassuring tone sounded almost wrong coming from her.

"We'll find her," Rosette repeated, sounding determined this time, her tone of voice implying serious hurt to anybody who threatened the Apostle before she and her partner arrived.

Chrno smiled slightly as he followed her out the door. _"I feel better already."_

He simply hoped the feeling would last.

Okay, so this was a REALLY short chapter...especially by Yamiko standards. (Only 2 pages on Word, jeez...) It'll pick up in the next chapter, I promise...y'know, as soon as I get the next chapter written (Which, as those of you who actually follow my fanfiction (OMG some of you exist?) know, that can take a long time...). I promise it'll be done by the end of next week, at least. (For those of you who care, it's July 6 right now. That gives me 'til July 16 to actually plan the fic out and write the next part.) Satella will also come in, I promise that too...she's too much fun to stay out of it for long. :smile: So please stick with me here, know that I AM trying, read my other fics (shameless advertising, don't ya love it?), and...see ya next chapter!


	2. Control

1**All It Takes**

**By: Yamiko #7**

Hello all! Hey, it's July 7 and I'm already starting on the next chapter! Necessity may be the mother of invention, but boredom is a muse. (Probably my greatest one at that.) This one will be pretty darn long, and I'll probably finish it before my parents come back from Minnesota on the 12th. I am sick and tired of babysitting my brothers (the one in middle school and the one in college) and my dog, cooking, doing laundry, taking care of every minor catastrophe that goes my way, and being for all intents and purposes stuck in the house with no friends over. I really should get paid for this. New Manga payment - the best kind. :smile: (Hey, does anybody know when Chrno Crusade Volume 6 is coming out?)

At this point, I'm still advertising for a plot for this fic. I think my boredom muse got...well, bored. He probably went to go muse for somebody else. :sigh: Man, he was HOT too...hence the musing. :bigger smile: w00t.

BTW, the rating for this will be for some language (as already seen in Chapter One), substantial violence (Yamiko is a huge fan of Chrno's demon form, so you know there'll be some good scenes), and general angst (this is "Guilt Trip" Chrno we're talking about here). So, for the detail-oriented and anal-retentive of you, consider yourself forewarned...or foreshadowed, depending. :grin:

Oh, and as last-minute disclaimers go, I don't own anything.

So, on to Chapter Two!

_Chapter Two: Control_

"WHAT!" Satella shrieked into the phone.

Chrno jumped and held the phone away from his ear, over on the driver's side of the car and next to Rosette. "Stop that, Chrno!" Rosette complained. "I can't concentrate on my driving."

_"Like you ever concentrate on your driving anyway."_ Chrno tentatively put the phone next to his ear. "It's like I said, Satella-san. Azmaria went out on her own, and we're going to find her." He wasn't sure if telling Satella about the info on Joshua and the fact that Azmaria was doing this for them would be a good idea.

"AND YOU WEREN'T WATCHING HER!"

Chrno jumped again and dropped the phone completely this time. At this rate, he would have to ask Rosette to release the seal in order for him to heal his eardrums. Telling Satella the entire truth about Azmaria's escapade would definitely not be a good idea.

He picked up the phone. "We'll find her soon, Satella-san. Please, just calm down."

Yet again, Chrno said the wrong thing. Yet again, Satella yelled. Yet again, Chrno dropped the phone.

"Darn it, Chrno, cut it out!" Rosette snapped, hands clamped on the wheel.

Chrno could feel that his temper was close to snapping. He picked up the phone again and held it against his ear. "We'll call you again when we have more news. Goodbye, Satella-san," he said with as much calm as he could possibly muster. He then hung up the phone and clenched his hands in his lap. Not the most productive thing he could be doing, but it beat losing his temper completely. Chrno didn't really lose his temper often, but when he did, things tended to get...bloody.

Rosette looked over at her partner. "You're being awfully quiet. What's on your mind?"

"Don't you think..." Chrno said slowly, still trying to retain the last vestiges of his patience, "that maybe...just maybe...I'm worried about Azmaria too?" This was said in the general direction of his hands. He still didn't trust himself to make eye contact.

"Oh." Rosette fell silent. The possibility had indeed occurred to her, but she hadn't really given it much thought. "I...I'm sorry, Chrno."

"It's okay." His hands relaxed slightly. _'After all, this sort of thing happens all the time. I just don't normally lose it like this.'_

"We're here, Chrno."

Chrno's head snapped up. Had he really been daydreaming for that long? He looked around. One of the last few turns had taken them into a deserted-looking back alley. Rosette had parked the car several feet away from a mansion-sized house that looked as though nobody had lived in it for several decades. The house number read 777.

"Ironic," Chrno muttered as he reached into the back of the car for the box containing Rosette's extra guns and the phone. "Rosette, are you absolutely certain this is the right place?"

"Yep." Rosette pulled the telegram they had found in Azmaria's room out of the glove compartment. "Joshua Christopher. 777 Drifting Cloud Drive. This is definitely the place."

"Okay..." Chrno trailed off uneasily and stepped out of the car. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something about this place just felt wrong.

"Chrno."

He looked up at Rosette. "Yes?"

"I'm going to release the seal."

It was all Chrno could do to keep from dropping the box. Evidently Rosette was also feeling a little more than uneasy. "Don't do it, Rosette."

"Why not? We don't know what's in there –"

"Exactly." Chrno cut her off. "We don't know if the people inside are friendly or not, or even if there are any people there at all. We don't know if Azmaria is there. We shouldn't release the seal just yet." His voice dropped slightly. "It would be...a waste..." He couldn't bring himself to add the phrase _'of your life'_ onto the end of that sentence. He also didn't want to tell her the other reason he didn't want the seal released.

It had been six months since Rosette had last released the seal. Six months since Chrno had used his full powers. Back then, against Lerajie, it hadn't mattered how much of his power he'd used. Enough to thoroughly defeat the pursuer, that was all that mattered then. Now, only minutes earlier that day, he had been inches away from losing his temper completely. He didn't know if he was stressed or tired or what - he only knew that it was a bad sign. Nowadays, all it took was a minor annoyance to set him off. If he couldn't control something as minor as his temper, how could he expect to control his powers? How could he know for certain that he wouldn't lose his mind completely and break the seal?

He couldn't. And he wouldn't use his powers until he could. It was as simple as that.

He hoped.

"Come on, Chrno," Rosette said briskly, striding towards the door of the dilapidated house and breaking Chrno's reverie.

"Let's go."

It is now July 15. I have managed to A) come up with an actual worthwhile plot B) refine and work out the details of said plot, and C) finish Chapter Two - all in one week.

Yamiko is very proud of herself. :pats self on back: This writer's self-esteem has returned.

I apologize for any typos. The "o" key on my keyboard is acting up...or, rather, not acting at all. I have to pound on it to get it to work. (I think I need a new laptop.) So if I missed a few "o"s here and there, I'm sorry - I did check my work, the typos are just the ones I've missed.

As for the 777 reference...isn't it true that 777 is the number of heaven or something like that? I'm not sure if the fact is right, but I thought it would be fun. (Considering I picked it up out of a JTHM comic, I'd be surprised if it was right at all.) "Drifting Cloud" is actually the name of a street near where I live. There's also Downhill (guess where it goes from here), Oyster Bay (in landlocked Colorado), Distinctive (which I can never remember), and - my personal favorite - Purgatory, on which there is a children's academy/day care. Several intersections away from Purgatory is Deliverance.

I am not kidding. These are all real street names in Colorado - all in one city, in fact. Evidently living 75,000 feet above sea level does funny things to your brain. (You need proof, read my fanfiction. HA! More shameless advertising.)

I also apologize for the slow pace of the first two chapters of this fic - I'm still trying to get my social life and my relationship with my parents sorted out, as well as preparing face the wrath of Kaser next week (I skipped out on anime club to go laser-tagging with a lieutenant in the Army whom my family used to sponsor when he was a cadet at the Air Force Academy. I figure it's a good excuse - this was, after all, the first time I've seen him since he returned from Iraq). So, again, the slowness of the fic will be taken care of just as soon as everything else is. Thanks for sticking with me, and see you all in Chapter Three!


	3. Capture

1**All It Takes**

**By: Yamiko #7**

Hello again, and a great big THANK YOU! to those of you who are still reading this fic after the first two chapters. :cries happily: Somebody actually cares! I feel so very loved... :smile:

So, has anybody read the new Harry Potter book yet? No, no, I promise I won't spoil anything...that's just mean, and the people who do that should be shot: execution style, hollow-point bullets. I did enjoy the story in the new book, though. After the fiasco following the fifth book, HBP was exactly what the series needed to get back on track. It's definitely worth a read.

I have worked extensively on the plot of this fic since the end of the last chapter, so hopefully things will move faster and a lot more smoothly now. Thanks again for sticking with me, and enjoy Chapter Three!

_Chapter Three: Capture_

Azmaria looked up at the black-haired woman sitting across from her. "So you mean this isn't..."

"No, dear." The woman smiled. "I'm afraid the Joshua Christopher you're looking for isn't here."

"Oh." Azmaria looked down at her hands again. Oh dear. What was she to do now? She'd thought for sure she'd find Rosette's brother here. Not only was he not at this house, but she had also left Satella-san's villa without letting anybody know where she was going, or even that she was leaving. Rosette and Chrno would be so worried about her...

Maybe they hadn't found out yet. She should really go back to the villa before anybody noticed and started to worry.

Azmaria stood slowly. "Thank you again for your hospitality and for helping me," she said with a quiet smile. "I really must leave now."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." The woman smiled again, and this time it sent chills down Azmaria's spine. It was like the smile of a vampire: all fang and no warmth whatsoever.

"You see," the woman continued, "now that you're here, it makes everything so very much easier. We really can't allow you to leave just yet." The woman's catlike green eyes glinted, and her smile got wider.

Azmaria took a step back, doing her best not to panic. What was she going to do now? The last time she had been kidnapped, Rosette had had to release the seal - and shorten her own life in the process - in order to sort out the mess. Azmaria really didn't want that to happen again. How could she get out of this without involving her friends? Her eyes searched frantically about the room for a solution.

The window!

She turned and dashed towards the open window, hoping against hope that the woman wouldn't realize what was happening until she had already escaped.

It was no use. Not only did the woman realize what was going on (she seemed to have planned for it), she made it to the window before Azmaria had get halfway there.

Azmaria stopped short, completely shocked. _'Her speed...she's not human!'_

The woman mockingly shook her finger at Azmaria. "Naughty, naughty! Didn't I tell you that you would be staying here?" She then reached out with that same inhuman speed and grabbed Azmaria's head in a strong grip, her palm against Azmaria's forehead. "I'll just have to make sure you stay, like a good little girl. After all, we won't have long until your friends arrive..."

Except that Azmaria wasn't quite sure that was what the woman said. She found it difficult to pay proper attention to the woman's words; she was much too busy watching her world spin and fade to black.

0.0 :runs away from the rabid horde of Azmaria fans, all wielding axes, maces, and all manner of scary, pointy objects: AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! I won't hurt her, I swear! C'mon, what kind of authoress do you think I am?

...on second thought, don't answer that.

As you've probably discovered, this is indeed the end of Chapter Three, and the plot has finally thickened. (Yes, there is a plot. No, really. There is.) As often happens when I write fanfiction, it is late and I am tired; therefore, Chapter Four will not be officially started until tomorrow (which is when I figure out what all's going to happen during Chapter Four). Be happy, though: this is the fastest I've ever written a fanfiction with an actual plot. I'm not exactly sure how long it's going to be, though - I seem to be writing very short chapters, which means there will probably be quite a few of them (15 plus). Please stick with me, I really do need the support. Thanks for reading this far, and hopefully you'll all see Chapter Four soon! Until then, eat souls. They are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.


	4. Insult

1**All It Takes**

**By: Yamiko #7**

Hello again, and welcome to the wonderful world of Chapter Four! Hopefully we'll all get to see some action here - I know that I, at least, am itching for it (even though my fight scenes royally suck). At least we know there'll be some plot development...God help us all. :laugh:

Has anybody else noticed the overabundance of romance fics in the Chrno Crusade section? I figured there'd be a lot more of the action/adventure type, maybe some comedy. Boy, was I ever wrong. In the three pages I looked at (20 or so fics per page), there had to have been at least 40 romance fics, probably more than that. What really amazed me, though, was the fact that all of them, with the exception of one or two, were Rosette/Chrno pairings. I have never seen so much support for a single pairing. Ever. It kind of scared me. 0.0 Not that there's anything wrong with romance, but...wow. Just wow.

I also checked out the "Just In" section, and that simply blew my mind. This was on Sunday, July 17. On a single 20-fic page, there were at least 12, probably more, Harry Potter HBP fics. Keep in mind that, at this point, the book had been out for less than 48 hours.

...I think it scared me even more than all the romance. Here I am, still trying to digest the events of the book, and twelve random people have already read the book (probably more than once) and are already working on fanfictions. Tell me, have you people slept at all since Friday night? You certainly do work fast. n.n

Well, that's enough outta me. Enjoy Chapter Four!

_Chapter Four: Insult_

"Are you sure that this is the right place?" Chrno asked for what had to be the fifth time.

"Unless there's another 777 Drifting Cloud out there that I missed, then yes, this is the place," Rosette snapped. She was getting fed up with answering the same question over and over. "Why do you keep asking me that?"

"I can't sense him," Chrno replied quietly. As strange and otherworldly as it sounded, it was true. Whenever Joshua was near, Chrno could feel...not Joshua's life force, but, strangely enough, his own. The essence of his horns, separated from his body, would thrill down his spine like electricity, a buzz that was soft and at the same time too strong to ignore. The feeling of power, pure, simple, and raw.

That buzz was missing. Either Joshua had lost his horns - _'My horns,'_ Chrno corrected himself - or he wasn't here. Either way, something was wrong.

He looked up just in time to see Rosette reach for a doorknob. The demonic energy emanating from the space behind that door hit him like a freight train, sending a psychic shock wave from the top of his head to the soles of his feet and back again. Why hadn't he sensed it before!

"Rosette, no!"

It was too late. Rosette had already flung open the door. She didn't even have enough time to train her gun on the room before its occupant caught her in a flying tackle and slammed her against the opposing wall.

Chrno's next reaction was automatic. He dropped the weapon box on his back and tore the assailant off Rosette with bone-crushing force, throwing him face-first to the ground and holding him there with a knee to the small of his back. He then pulled the assailant's arms up - with more force than was strictly necessary, but he was furious - effectively pinning him to the floor. The entire sequence of events had taken less than five seconds.

It was only then that Rosette got a good look at her attacker. He was tall - about 5'8", she estimated - and dark: long dark hair trapped underneath his body, and dark eyes flashing angrily. Handsome was debatable. His accent was Latino. His turn of phrase was unmistakably American.

"Get off me, you stupid son of a bitch," he threatened Chrno, "before I rip your f:ing head off."

Rosette raised an eyebrow. _'Charming.'_

"Why did you attack me?" Rosette finally found her voice. "Come to think of it, who are you?"

Chrno didn't trust himself to speak. He was afraid his language would be just as ugly as the Latino's if he did.

The Latino turned his attention back to Rosette and leered up at her. "When such a beautiful lady opened my door...well, I just couldn't help myself." He looked and sounded like an oversexed snake. The look he gave Rosette said clearly that he was imagining her naked.

Nobody had ever tried to undress Rosette with their eyes before. The look was creepy. It made her want to shoot him.

Chrno had also understood the meaning of the look. It simply aggravated him further.

"If you look at her that way again," he snarled, "I will rip your eyeballs out of your head."

"Oh, please." Pure sarcasm. "You shouldn't even be with her anyway. After all, what does a child like you know about..." He gave Rosette the seeing-sans-clothing look again. "...fine women?"

Chrno began to shake with fury. His temper had finally reached its limits and was perilously close to boiling over. Rico Suave here was going to be in a world of hurt if he didn't shut up soon.

"Why, Joshua, I'm disappointed," came a low, feminine voice from the now-vacated doorway. "How could you mistake this monster for a child?"

Rosette was, to put it simply, shocked. "Joshua!"

"And you haven't even introduced yourself to our...guests." The voice seemed to savor the word. "Really, where are your manners?"

_'She's laughing at us.'_ Chrno's eyes narrowed. He had heard this particular voice before...but where?

Still pinned to the floor, the Latino sighed. "As my Mistress wishes..." His gaze returned to Rosette. "My name is Joshua Christopher. Are you satisfied?"

Rosette's world seemed to slide out of focus for a second. _'Joshua...Joshua Christopher...'_ He had the same name as her missing little brother. The monastery's information had been right and wrong at the same time.

Rosette's focus returned in a flash as she heard Chrno's shocked gasp.

The woman in the doorway had chosen that time to reveal herself, stepping out of the shadows and into the relative light of the hallway. She was small, about Rosette's height, with shoulder-length black hair and green eyes that seemed almost catlike. She was clad almost entirely in what looked like black leather. The only exception was a small glass vial, containing what looked like a single white hair, on a silver chain around her neck. Rosette didn't really see what was so special about her.

Chrno, however, looked as though he had seen a ghost. "You..." he stammered, still shocked. "You...but you're dead!"

"You would think that, wouldn't you." Gone was the sultry satisfaction that had been in the woman's voice. In it's place was a cold rage. "You would think that after getting my arm torn off and being thrown from a moving airship that I would die, wouldn't you, Chrno. Well, I'm obviously still here."

She moved until her face was only inches away from Chrno's. "And you are going to pay."

I know, I know...kind of a crappy place to leave off, with the evil cliffy and all, but I figure it works. If I added on to this chapter, then it would go into what I have planned for Chapter Five. If I screw up my plan now, I'm afraid it may never recover. I've done it before, and I really don't want to do it again.

So far so good, though. Four chapters and only one anachronism! I'm on a roll. :self-contented smile: So please don't complain about how Rico Suave didn't exist until the late 1980's - I already know. I figured the joke was just too good to pass up, so it stays and I laugh.

See you in Chapter Five!


	5. Injury

**All It Takes**

**By: Yamiko #7**

Hello again! Chapter Five is here to continue on the previous evil cliffie and possibly create a new one - I'm not sure yet. I know it's gonna be fun, though. n.n

Chrno:reading through Chapter Five script, looking increasingly disturbed the further he goes: Um...can I get a stunt double for this one?

Um, no. Why?

Chrno: Well, some of the stuff you have me do...are you sure I –

Nobody gets a stunt double - we're too low-budget, I can't afford any. C'mon, you're a big tough demon...you can take it. Now go get ready.

Chrno:wanders off, murmuring despairingly about how he's going to die:

Right...pay no attention to the man behind the curtain...heh heh. :sheepish: Don't worry, this isn't a tragedy fic, so I don't intend to kill anybody...yet. Enough of that, on with the fic!

* * *

_End of Chapter Four:_

_Chrno, however, looked as though he had seen a ghost. "You..." he stammered, still shocked. "You...but you're dead!"_

_"You would think that, wouldn't you." Gone was the sultry satisfaction that had been in the woman's voice. In it's place was a cold rage. "You would think that after getting my arm torn off and being thrown from a moving airship that I would die, wouldn't you, Chrno. Well, I'm obviously still here."_

_She moved until her face was only inches away from Chrno's. "And you are going to pay."_

_Chapter Five: Injury_

There was no warning. Rosette wasn't even sure how it happened. The next thing she knew, Chrno was flat on his back and Joshua was getting up close and personal with her, pinning both of her wrists to the wall with one of his hands and holding the flat of a knife blade almost lovingly to her cheek with the other. Her gun lay momentarily forgotten at her feet.

"Don't move, _chica_," Joshua breathed, moving the blade up a little higher on her cheek. "We wouldn't want to cut your pretty face, now would we?"

_'No, we most certainly would not.'_ Rosette kept her eyes on the knife. _'Where did that come from?'_ Her gaze traveled down his arm to the knife sheath on his wrist, hidden from view by the sleeve of his shirt. _'Oh, I see.'_ How in hell had she missed that?

Chrno was back on his feet. "Don't touch her," he growled.

"Chrno, Chrno, Chrno," The woman said mockingly, closing the short distance between them at a leisurely pace. "You don't seem to understand. You're in no position to be making demands."

She looked towards Rosette and Joshua, a sadistic smile spreading slowly over her face. "Did you know," she said, running her hand absentmindedly through Joshua's hair, "that there are hundreds of ways, none of them immediately fatal, to slit a human throat?"

The tension flowed out of Chrno's body. He was no longer ready to start a fight, but he sure as sin wasn't about to give up either. "You've made your point, Sumiah, now what do you want."

"Why, you remember my name. I'm flattered." The sadistic smile turned towards Chrno, and his glare deepened. _'She's enjoying this. She loves seeing me helpless. Damn it!_'

"And as for what I want..." She paused to act thoughtful and cute, two particular moods that didn't become her. "Why, revenge, of course. You know, a woman scorned and all that jazz."

Right now, he hated her more than ever.

"Starting with your obedience." She tapped him lightly, almost flirtatiously, on the shoulder, and turned to reenter the room from whence she came. "Come."

He was tempted to refuse, to simply bring her down then and there. All it took was a quick glance at Rosette, disarmed and held hostage by Joshua and his knife, to rob him of that notion. He turned, shoulders slumped, and followed Sumiah into the room.

"Bring your little friend, Joshua." Sumiah's voice floated out of the room. "We wouldn't want her to miss the show."

"Of course not, Mistress." Joshua sheathed his knife and used his now-free hand to strengthen his grip on Rosette's wrists. He turned and, walking backwards and facing her, led her into the room. Even at arm's length, he was still too close for comfort.

"Aren't you afraid I'll kick you?" Rosette asked with a half-smirk on her face.

"Aren't you afraid of what Mistress will do to your friend?" he shot back, a full smirk on his.

Rosette fell silent. _'Damn.'_

The room Joshua pulled her into was dark - blackout curtains over the windows, she noted - with sparse furniture, as far as she could tell. One long, low shape - possibly a coffee table - one larger, longer shape - a sofa? - and several chairs.

She paid a lot less attention to the room and more to its occupants when she heard a loud slap of flesh on flesh and the ensuing muffled thud of flesh on floor.

"Chrno!"

"I'm all right," he said from across the room, where he was in the process of picking himself up off the carpet. Sumiah had sucker-punched him. Somehow, he wasn't surprised.

"Don't get up," Sumiah said darkly, standing several feet from Chrno. She'd struck him hard enough to kill an ordinary human. "Stay down or I'll kill your friend myself."

"Stop it!" Rosette yelled, struggling against Joshua's grip. "Leave him alone!"

Sumiah glared at her, eyes flashing angrily. "Do not tell me what to do, child," she snarled. "This battle is older than you are."

Her attention turned back to Chrno, sitting on the floor. "At least you're smart enough not to disobey me," she growled, stalking towards him. "Not while I have your friend." She grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked him to his knees. "I swore I'd make you pay," she hissed, her face mere inches from his. "I swore it sixty years ago, and I swore it today. And you have a lot to pay for."

She threw him to the floor, in the throes of a sudden fit of fury. "It's all because of YOU!" she screamed. "Because of you, I lost my love!" She delivered a hard kick to his stomach.

Chrno gasped, and found suddenly that he couldn't breathe. Sumiah's blow had knocked the air out of him.

"I lost my status!" she continued, her next kick striking the same spot on his abdomen as her last one. White spots burst before Chrno's eyes. He still couldn't breathe, and now he couldn't see. For the first time since he'd entered the old mansion, he was scared. Really, truly scared.

"_I even lost my horns!_" Her next furious kick struck his ribs with enough force to shatter steel. A thick wet _snap_ echoed about the room.

Rosette gasped. _'Oh my God...'_

Chrno didn't feel the pain until he attempted to breathe again. White-hot agony lanced up his side as he tried to fill his lungs with air. He gasped and began to choke, great wracking coughs that shook his small frame and forced thick dark fluids from his mouth onto the ragged carpet.

He struggled to breathe and continued to fail, gasping and coughing fluid onto the floor by turns. Finally, after several minutes that seemed like a terrifying eternity, he regained his air and lay on the floor, too drained to do much more than take one shallow, shaky breath after another.

His hands had gone to cover his mouth without him realizing it. He drew them away slowly and looked at them. They were covered in red liquid. _'Blood,'_ he realized numbly. _'I've been coughing up blood.'_

He looked up slowly, the phrase "punctured lung" dancing through his head. Sumiah stared down coldly at him. She'd been watching him the entire time and, from the sadistic smile on her face, enjoying every second of his agony. She bent over, moving her face close to his, leering at him. "I told you you'd pay," she said silkily, straightening back up.

Chrno didn't see her final kick until a fraction of a second before it collided with his face. The force spun him around twice before he stopped, lying on his side and losing blood through lungs, mouth, and broken nose. He watched numbly as his world faded to white, then red, and finally a deep and endless black.

The last thing he heard before he fell into that blackness was his partner screaming his name.

* * *

Okay, for those of you who think I've gone and killed Chrno, don't worry - I'm not in the habit of killing my favorite characters. As a matter of fact, I'm not really in the habit of killing anybody...although that may very well change in the future. 

A warning for all of you who hate the bloody, angsty, and generally depressing stuff in fanfiction: this particular story gets worse before it gets better. It does get better, though, I promise...it may just take a chapter or two to get there.

I had probably better shut up now before I scare away all of my readers. (I know, I know: what readers?) So, please leave me reviews (or death threats, if it makes you feel better), and I'll see you in Chapter Six!


	6. Surrender

**All It Takes**

**By: Yamiko #7**

Hello again and welcome to Chapter Six! I think I may be going for a record here...how many death threats can one authoress get in her review mailbox? I'm not really sure I want to know... 0.0

I apologize for the ridiculously long wait between chapters...:gets on hands and knees: Sumimasen! Sumimasen! Sumimasen! This chapter is the hardest one for me to write (I can't do stuff like this without getting repetitive, it takes effort to make it turn out passable), and it doesn't help that I'm tired (my fault) and have summer homework (not my fault). So please know that I am indeed trying my best, and please keep reading!

* * *

_Chapter Six: Surrender_

Chrno opened his eyes slowly. It was dark, almost too dark to see anything. He hadn't the faintest clue as to where he was. It didn't help that his vision was blurry and his head was throbbing as though he'd been recently kicked in the face.

Oh, wait, he had.

God damn it.

He leaned against the wall, trying to find a position that didn't hurt his injured lung too much. The wall was cold. Hell, the entire room was cold. Freezing.

Chrno stared down at his wrists and ankles, which had somehow become chained and heavily shackled while he was unconscious. He may as well get used to the temperature, and the idea of unwilling imprisonment while he was at it. It wasn't as though he was going anywhere anytime soon.

He wondered idly if Rosette was okay. He would have worried more, but he found it strangely difficult to focus on anything at the moment.

As if summoned by his thoughts, Rosette's voice popped into his head. _"Chrno!"_ she called. _"Chrno!"_

Chrno jumped slightly and coughed several times, trying in vain to clear the unsettled blood from his throat and mouth. _'That kick must have jarred my brain,'_ he thought faintly. _'How can I be hearing her voice if she's not here?'_

_"I have no idea,"_ Rosette's voice responded, _"but I can hear you too, so let's make the most of it."_

Chrno slid lower on the wall and chalked Rosette's voice in his head up to either the onset of mild psychosis brought about by brain damage, or the numerous unknown powers of the pocket watch. Either way, he was in no shape to worry about it. _"Where are you?"_

_"I have no idea,"_ Rosette replied._ "It looks almost like a prison cell, except with carpet. I had no idea these old mansions came equipped with holding cells...must be a real bonus on the real estate market."_

Chrno smiled slightly at that one, reassured of his partner's well-being. Nothing too horrible could have happened if she was still making jokes.

_"Where are you?"_ she asked him.

_"No idea."_ Chrno shivered slightly - was the room getting colder? - and forced himself to move enough to look around. His vision was still hazy, but he would have noticed if there had been furniture. There was nothing in this room excepting him and his shackles. _"In an empty room, I guess."_ He figured letting Rosette know he was chained would only make her worry more than she needed to. After all, he was strong. He had lived for a long time and escaped from Hell. Now more than ever, he could take care of himself.

Right?

He pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them as best he could. It wasn't his imagination - at least, he didn't _think_ it was - the room really was getting colder. He began to shiver again, much harder this time. The shaking forced blood from his ripped lung up his throat, and he choked on it, unable to draw breath, until he was afraid he would suffocate.

He couldn't hear Rosette anymore. Sudden fear tightened a knot in his stomach. He eased himself slowly onto his side and curled up even more tightly. Tears slid down his cheeks, and blood trailed from his mouth. God, he was _scared_.

The temperature dropped another notch.

"Rosette," he called quietly, as though his voice could reach her. "Rosette, where are you?" He didn't know when he had stopped choking. He didn't care. "I'm hurt -" he shivered. "- I'm cold -" He shivered again. " - and I'm scared," he whispered. "Where are you, Rosette? Where are you?"

He was no longer shivering; he was shaking and trembling too hard for it to be called "shivering" anymore. The blood from his mouth had formed a small puddle under the curve of his neck, cooling on the stone floor. He put his head between his knees, dragging his face through that pool of blood. He was too far gone to notice, or to care.

All he saw was darkness. But he wasn't afraid of it any longer. If anything, the darkness was inviting, beckoning him towards its depths.

Come, Chrno. Come and be safe.

He fell slowly into that darkness. He was too tired to resist. He didn't want to. The darkness was his escape from the fear and the pain and the fatigue of his body. He wanted that escape. He wanted it more than anything.

He finally closed his eyes. He was tired, so tired...

And so very, very cold...

* * *

The Chrno fans of the world are going to kill me after this one, I just know it. It will get better, I promise...in fact, it'll get better next chapter. This I know for a fact. (Probably because I'm the one writing the next chapter.) If you don't like this chapter, you can just forget that it even exists (after you review, of course...hint hint). Just think of puppies, or kitties, or something that makes you very happy...

Ew. Not that, you freak. Ew, ew, ew.

And for those of you who actually like this bleeding freezing angsty stuff (OMG you exist?) and are disappointed at the length, or rather, lack of length, of this chapter...well, go write your own angst. This stuff is HARD. It took me two hours to do less than two pages worth of it. I stayed up past midnight for this! ...Well, I stay up past midnight every night, but still. I tried.

And that's enough ranting for now. I need some sleep. See you all (hopefully very soon) in Chapter Seven!


	7. Determination

**All It Takes**

**By: Yamiko #7**

Hello again! Have you all recovered from Chapter Six:several well-aimed bullets whiz past her head: I'd have to say...no...in my shoddily-prepared defense: if you kill me, you'll never know the end of the story, so let me live for now, 'kay? I told you it would get better, and it will during this chapter. No worries.

Before I get started, a random fact: the chemical composition of the creme filling of Twinkies is such that, if a single, specific chemical is changed, the composition is no longer that of creme filling, but of plastic.

Scary, huh. I heard that on the radio, so I'm not sure as to the veracity of the fact, but I thought it was pretty interesting and decided to share. Now you're all even more motivated to go out there and eat a Twinkie, right? Especially the deep-fried ones ...

Didn't think so. laughs

And to all you wonderful reviewers (all 8 of you), I will probably be answering my reviews at the end of this chapter or the beginning of the next one. (Like you've all been looking forward to it...) Thanks for taking the time to read my story and caring about it enough to leave intelligent commentary in the reviews, I really do appreciate it. Good reviews just make my day. n.n Thanks again, and on to the story!

* * *

_Chapter Seven: Determination_

Rosette was in a quiet shock. This had never happened before. She had always been the one who lost faith, the one who got scared, the one who wanted to quit. Chrno was always the person behind her, backing her up, urging her to continue on.

Not this time. This time, Chrno had given up. Rosette couldn't explain how she knew, she just...did. Blame it on the pocket watch.

She licked her lips and winced, tasting blood. Chewing her lip was a nervous habit, and somehow she'd bitten her lip bloody and not even noticed it. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd done this...

...Wait, yes she could. She had been eight, and her brother Joshua had nearly died of the flu. Her lips had been raw for weeks afterward. She'd never again bitten her lips that badly.

Until now. She was more worried about Chrno than she knew.

_'Well...'_ she shook off her shock and worry. Now was not the time to think about that. She'd panic later. _'...since the tables have turned, I guess it's my turn to save Chrno,'_ she decided, summoning all the determination she could muster.

Of course, trying to save him without a gun could prove to be difficult. The fact that her hands were bound behind her back and she was locked in a room she'd never seen before also made things a little harder than she'd have liked them to be.

She heard humming coming from the other side of the door, a male voice singing words she didn't understand. Spanish. Joshua was standing outside the door.

Rosette shuddered, remembering the way Joshua had undressed her with his eyes - appraising her body as if she were a prize to be had - and the frequency with which he did it - twice in less than five minutes. The pervert gave her a serious case of the creeps, and having him that close while she was tied up didn't make her feel any better.

Hey, maybe she could use his pervertedness against him.

_'NO!'_ Rosette railed against the thought. That idea was scary in more ways than one.

_'In case you've forgotten, Chrno is in trouble_,' a voice in her head - common sense, she guessed - informed her. _'You can't exactly afford to be picky.'_

_'Plus, it might actually be fun,'_ another voice said with a sneer that was almost visible. _That_ one was her id.

Rosette winced as Common Sense clobbered Id. A war zone in her very own head. At this point, she wouldn't be surprised if she were certifiably crazy.

No time to think about that now. She had to...oh, ew. She didn't want to think about it.

She raised her hands behind her back and tilted her head backwards until she could grab her habit and yanked it off her head, letting her hair fall free to her shoulders. She scooted downwards, skirt inching up her thighs until the side slits flashed the edges of her underwear. She rolled on to her side, facing the door. Not much more she could do to her outfit than this.

She raised her eyes to the ceiling. _'I really, REALLY don't want to do this...'_

She looked back at the door. _'Here goes nothing.'_ "Joshua," she moaned plaintively. "Joshua..."

Attracted by the sound of a female voice, Joshua opened the door and leered at what he saw. He had a hard time believing that the woman who had been such a hellion earlier was willing now, but, as his _madré_ had often told him, never look a gift horse in the mouth. "_¿Si?_" he answered silkily.

"Can't you _please_ help me?" she asked in a breathy voice, scooting a little further downwards. The skirt inched up accordingly. Any further and she'd be flashing him completely.

Joshua gave a lusty grin. "Why, of course, _chica_." He strutted into the room, swinging his hips in an almost feminine fashion, unashamedly showing off. His actions drew Rosette's gaze to something he hadn't realized she'd see - her gun stuck in his belt. Things had just gotten much easier for Rosette.

"Now, what can I help you with?" Joshua made the seemingly innocent statement sound dirty, a promise of unsavory things to come.

"It hurts," Rosette moaned, rubbing her wrists against the ropes that bound them. She hoped the ploy wasn't too obvious - if he caught on, she'd be in even more trouble than she was right now.

She needn't have worried. Joshua's brain was too overexcited and saturated with hormones to think about anything above the waist. "Certainly, _chica_," he breathed, straddling her and going to his knees, one leg on either side of her thighs. He reached down and easily untied the knot holding Rosette's wrists together. Seconds later, his world exploded in sparks of pain.

The second Rosette was sure her hands were free, she rolled quickly on to her back and jerked one knee as hard as she could into Joshua's groin. As he reeled back in shock and pain, she took advantage of his distraction and, grabbing him by the collar with her newly-freed hands, rolled them both over. Now he was lying on the floor looking stunned and she was the one on top, kneeling on his chest.

"Wha...what..." he gasped, his brain still too disengaged to form a coherent sentence.

Rosette pulled her gun out of his waistband and slipped it into her side holster. "I'll take that, thank you." She then rolled him over again and used the rope that had until recently been on her wrists to tie his hands behind his back. Deciding that the rope wasn't enough, she yanked the pull cord from the drapes and tied his legs together as well. Satisfied, she got up and made for the door.

"You..." Joshua gasped behind her. "You...bitch!"

Rosette stopped just short of the doorway and looked over her shoulder at him. "I hope it falls off."

She walked through the door, shut it firmly behind her, and headed off to find her partner.

* * *

:Reads over what she just wrote: Wow, is this scene ever written badly. It should probably be redone before I post it, but I'm too busy/lazy/fill-in-the-adjective. :Shrugs: Oh well.

The really sad thing about this particular scene is, I had a great time writing it. (Especially the Id/Common Sense part. I've always wanted to do one of those. n.n) I've been looking forward to this scene for a long time, and it didn't really turn out the way I had hoped it would (It's still too short!), but I still had lots of fun writing it.

Wait a minute. You all didn't really think this would be a sex scene...did you? For shame! The rating of this fic isn't high enough for that. :laugh: Even if it was, I wouldn't be writing one of those scenes anyway. That's somebody else's job. Plus, there's no way I'd put Rosette through that; she's a lot like me, and I like her too much to put her through something like that.

And for the guys out there who read this and winced...sorry. You know what Rosette did to Joshua is definitely in character for her. I really didn't see how I could write the scene without that happening. So again, I'm sorry...it won't happen again. (There won't be another opportunity.)

So, thanks for sticking with me through this one :laugh, and see you next chapter!


	8. Revival

**All It Takes**

**By: Yamiko #7**

Hello again! Here we are at Chapter Eight, and after everything that's happened, I'm surprised that you're all still reading. You're all either slightly out of it, or (miracle of miracles) you actually like the story. Either way, I'm amazed...and grateful. (People are reading my stories! Yay!) Now if only I had some reviews...(fakes a pout) Yeah, guess what I'm asking you all to do. n.n

So, instead of subjecting you all to another one of my long-winded content-challenged rants, I should start the chapter. Before I do that, though, I need to collect the characters. (Lassoes Chrno and does her best Scorpion imitation) GET OVER HERE!

Chrno: (urk!) You could have just called me...

Oh, but this was just so much more fun! Now I can start. n.n BTW, for those of you who didn't get the Mortal Kombat reference...you poor, deprived souls, you. For those of you who are complaining because I used a lasso and not a harpoon...jeez, I'm only trying to rough him up a little bit, not kill him. Lighten up, people. n.- (Yamiko has been playing waaaaaaaaaay too many video games and not writing nearly as often as she should be. For shame.)

And here I promised you I wouldn't rant. I guess I'll end it here, then. Enjoy!

* * *

_Chapter Eight: Revival_

Chrno woke with a start and immediately began to choke. He didn't remember where he was or what had happened. All he knew was what he could feel: pain. He hurt like hell, and for reasons he couldn't fathom, his body wasn't working correctly.

He tried to stand and, finding himself unable to do so, doubled over. His stomach heaved and forced a mouthful of blood out of his mouth and onto the floor.

_"God. I'm going to die."_

Except that he didn't feel that way at all; at least, not anymore. In fact, his body now seemed to be fine. His aches had eased, and crimson life was no longer dripping from his mouth. As far as he could tell, he was completely healed.

What in seven hells was going on?

He attempted once again to stand, and found that, with one hand against the wall for balance, he could. He jumped slightly with the shock of the tips of his ears brushing lightly against the cold ceiling.

Wait a minute. He wasn't that tall.

At least, not in his human form, he wasn't...

"Are you in there, Chrno?" came a quiet voice from the other side of the door.

"Rosette?" Chrno made his way towards the voice. "What are you...?"

"Never mind that," Rosette called weakly. Chrno knew she'd be wearing the weary Don't-Worry-About-Me-Darn-It smile on her face. "Just hurry up and break the door down. I can't seem to get the darn thing to open."

He sighed, dug his fingers into the sides of the door, and pried it slowly out of the frame. God, but he _hated_ it when she did things like this.

He set the door aside and watched as she stood slowly, using the wall for support. He had been right. She had that smile. It was the same pathetic smile she always wore when she was about to try to convince him to leave the seal open for just a little bit longer.

He strode out into the hall. Dark, dank, and dismal - perfect scenery for his mood right now.

He looked at Rosette. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." She closed her eyes, nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Now, c'mon, let's go and -"

"No."

She blinked and looked up at him. "What?"

His gaze was penetrating, intense. "We're not going anywhere until you replace the seal." If she hadn't known him as well as she did, she would have been scared.

She shook her head slowly. "You need your powers to-"

"It might not come to that," he argued. "And if it does, we can always release the seal again."

"But, Chrno-"

"Damn it, Rosette!" He reached over and snapped the seal on the pocket watch shut.

Rosette's gaze changed from an incline to a decline as she stared at him in shock. Chrno had never really gone against her over the issue of the pocket watch - he'd argue, but he'd always given in in the end. He'd never gotten physical with her either, in any way, shape, or form. And she'd never heard him swear, not to anybody and definitely not at her.

What had happened to Chrno in that dark little room?

He took one of her hands in both of his and held it gently. "Rosette, when I told you not to throw your life away, I..." He looked up at her, into her eyes. Are you listening to me? Good. "...I meant it."

_He's different. He's changed. He...I..._ "Chrno...what's happened to you?"

He released her hand, sighed, "...I...", and looked away. "I don't know."

"Fine then." The strategy of the day seemed to be "when in doubt, switch tactics." It had worked so far. "How do you know the psychotic bitch who's in charge of this whole mess?"

Chrno turned away. "It's a long story."

Switching tactics wasn't working. Chrno's funk had crossed the line from causing concern to causing annoyance. Rosette decided to go back to her standby strategy of push, push, and push some more.

She grabbed Chrno's shoulders and spun him around to face her. "Well then, tell me!" Seeing his hesitation, she added, "There is no way in hell I'm letting her take me by surprise again."

Chrno sighed. Rosette was in her bullheaded mode again: there would be no talking her out of this one.

Damn.

He looked up at her. "Alright: I'll tell you. Try not to interrupt...too much."

Rosette grinned at the joke. It was weak, but at least her Chrno was coming back to her.

Her grin died with Chrno's next sentence.

"Sumiah is a pursuer. She's loved Aion for as long as I've known her."

* * *

And there, we end the chapter. (Runs away from the random various pointy bits of painful doom being thrown at her by her readers) Jeez! I'm trying, I'm trying! (Points to her desk calender, which reads 22 December) 'Tis the season to be stressed, y'know. (Sigh) I'll get to work on Chapter Nine (Holy cow! I don't think I've ever reached a Chapter Nine before! Wow!) as soon as I can, like maybe right now. Stay tuned for the obligatory back story chapter! Woo hoo!

Thanks for reading and Merry Christmas!


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